May 6, 2012 – NEPAL – The death toll in a flash flood in Nepal’s central Annapurna region could be as high as 60, according to rescuers scouring the area for survivors. They say there is almost no hope of finding anyone else alive. Fifteen bodies have been recovered but district police superintendent Sailesh Thapa told AFP that 43 missing people, including three Ukrainian tourists, were feared dead. “So far, 12 of the 15 bodies have been identified. An excavator has reached the worst affected areas and is clearing the mud,” he said. “We have a list of another 43 people who have gone missing. Their chances of survival are almost zero. The three Ukrainians are still missing.” Eight people have been rescued since the Seti burst its banks near the city of Pokhara, a tourist hub, on Saturday, sweeping away a village and swamping families picnicking by the river. Most of the missing are thought to be local. One witness, Uddha Bahadur Gurung, described how the river suddenly turned into a lethal surge. “There was nothing unusual. People were enjoying picnics, some were relaxing in the hot spring pools by the river and others working,” he told the Kathmandu Post. “Out of nowhere came this swelling dark murky water with debris, sweeping away many people.” Sniffer dogs have been sent 200km from the capital Kathmandu to search for bodies along the banks of the river, which has now subsided, while police and army personnel hunt for survivors. Prime Minister Baburam Bhattari broke off from political negotiations over forming a new government to visit Kharapani village, which was washed away by the flood. “He has instructed the authorities to bring 20 excavators so that the dead bodies of those who have been buried by the floods can be recovered,” Bishwadeep Pandey, personal secretary to the premier, told AFP. –SMH